Diplomat: Assad Is “Totally Aware” that He Must Leave

A Damascus-based diplomat said Monday that President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, despite official denials, was “totally aware” that he must leave and was “looking for a way out.” “More importantly, powerful people in the upper circle of the ruling elite in Damascus are feeling that an exit must be found.”

Yet Assad believes he is “defending his country, his people, and his regime and himself” against Islamic extremism and Western interference, said Joseph Abu Fadel, a Lebanese political analyst who supports Assad.

Even if Assad wanted to flee, it is unclear if the top generals would let him out alive, Russian analysts say, since they believe that if they lay down arms they – and their disproportionately Alawite families – will die in vengeance killings, and need him to rally troops.